Sep 19, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back C.J. Prosise (20) carries the ball for a 91 yard touchdown past Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Jamal Golden (4) in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — No. 8 Notre Dame held off a late charge by No. 14 Georgia Tech to preserve a 30-22 win on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.
Trailing by 23 points midway through the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets scored two late touchdowns, pulling to within one possession with 22 seconds left.
After failing to recover an onside kick that led to the second of the late scores, the Fighting Irish got the second one and sealed the victory.
That assured a big day by running back C.J. Prosise, a strong defensive effort and a solid starting debut by quarterback DeShone Kizer weren’t wasted.
Prosise, a senior, rushed for 198 yards and scored on runs of 17, 1 and 91 yards.
His 91-yard bolt up the middle in the fourth quarter not only put the Fighting Irish up 30-7, but tied for the second longest run from scrimmage in school history and was the longest run ever in Notre Dame Stadium.
The Fighting Irish held Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense in check most of the day. The Yellow Jackets rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns, but came into the game averaging 457 yards a game on the ground.
Quarterback Justin Thomas ran for a touchdown and threw for another to fullback Patrick Skov, who also scored on a five-yard touchdown.
Kizer, starting in place of injured quarterback Malik Zaire, made only one big mistake by throwing a first-half interception in the end zone.
Otherwise he looked good. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore completed 21-of-30 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown, and directed four drives that resulted in touchdowns in his first career start.
Notre Dame led 13-7 at the half on Kizer’s 46-yard touchdown catch by Will Fuller in the first quarter and Prosise’s 17-yard touchdown run with 1:40 left in the second.
Kicker Justin Yoon missed the extra point attempt, but it didn’t matter.
Georgia Tech’s only score in the first half came off Skov’s five-yard run to tie it, 7-7, with 5:26 left in the second quarter, capping a four play, 80-yard drive highlighted by runs of 17 and 48 yards by Broderick Snoddy.
Each team left points on the field in the first half.
Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker missed field goals from 30 and 43 yards, while Kizer had a short pass intercepted in the end zone to nix a scoring opportunity.
NOTES: Notre Dame sophomore Drue Tranquill started at safety instead of Elijah Shumate, but his day didn’t have a pleasant conclusion. After making a pass breakup late in the first half in the end zone, he appeared to re-injure a surgically-repaired knee and didn’t return. … Notre Dame led 7-0 after the first quarter and has outscored opponents 33-0 in the first quarters of its first three games. … Georgia Tech receiver Michael Summers was injured in the third quarter after making a catch. He left the game and didn’t return. … The Yellow Jackets hadn’t been stopped inside the red zone this season until Notre Dame forced them to attempt a 30-yard field goal in the first quarter. Coming into the game, Georgia Tech was 12-for-12 with 12 touchdowns inside the red zone.
